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New to fairbanks

Hello, just moved up to Fairbanks and trying to find some places to ice fish. Everywhere I saw online you either have to be on base or travel a good stretch out of Fairbanks. Just trying to find some local lakes. Im not looking to land huge fish just some little hatchery fish. Thanks.

bathing beauty pond..the old way station ponds used to not freeze out, chena lakes, birch lake, greer pond (behind the athletic club), there's plenty of water to play on.

You can fish the ponds acrossed from Eielson. Stop by FWA and pick up a permit (free) than drive down and walk out onto the lake. No gates to play with and no id issues. there's some ponds on base that are also worth fishing but you'll need to be able to get access to base to fish them.

bathing beauty has been getting hit pretty hard the past week now.

I've never seen anyone try fishing the way station ponds after freeze up. They used to dump some pretty nice fish in them before the anchorage hatchery closed. Last I heard there was some pike chomping the trout.

Just a note: There have been changes made to access policies between Army and Air Force for recreational use of military land, and the installations no longer recognize the access permits between each other (this includes the lakes mentioned above which are outside the gate however still on Air Force land. Even though they access is not gated you will need a access pass from the EAFB in order to go fishing, and the area is clearly posted. Hate to see anyone get ticketed, which the AF will do if you do not have their specific permit now.

I called and spoke with AF natural resources and confirmed. Links below and contact numbers for anyone that wants more info

You don't need to leave Fairbanks. Some of the gravel pits in south Fairbanks have decent fishing, although the ambience probably doesn't fit most people's mental picture of "Alaska." Try outboard pit. Careful about the others - don't trespass. Also, burbot on the Tanana off the boat launch on Chena Pump Rd, although be careful about thin ice.

Ballaine Lake is stocked but usually freezes through. Might not be frozen to the bottom this year given how warm its been and how much snow we've gotten. Also, check out ADF&G's Alaska Lakes Database. Zoom in on Fairbanks, click the "Previously stocked" and "Not stocked" boxes, and hit the "Refresh Lakes" button. It's no substitute for local knowledge but it's a reasonable place for someone new to the area to start.

Mushing Tech: squeezing the romance out of dog mushing one post at a time